Russia turns to India for labour as war-driven worker shortage grows

Russia is turning to India as a new source of labour due to an acute shortage of at least 2.3 million workers that has been worsened by strains from its war against Ukraine.

Source: Reuters

Details: "I have a contract for one year. In the rubbish disposal business. The money is good," Ajit, an Indian worker who arrived in Russia, said in English.

In 2021, Russia approved about 5,000 work permits for Indian nationals. Last year, it issued almost 72,000 permits to Indians, nearly a third of the annual quota for visa-based labour migrants.

"Currently, expatriate employees from India are the most popular," said Alexei Filipenkov, director of a company that recruits Indian workers.

He added that workers from Central Asian countries of the former Soviet Union, who do not need visas, have stopped arriving in sufficient numbers.

However, official data shows that last year, Central Asian workers still made up the majority of the roughly 2.3 million legal foreign workers who do not require visas.

A weaker rouble, tougher migration laws and increasingly harsh anti-migrant rhetoric from Russian politicians have reduced migrant inflows and pushed Moscow to increase visa quotas for workers from other countries.

The decision to rely on India for low-skilled labour reflects strong defence and economic ties between Moscow and New Delhi.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed an agreement in December 2025 that makes it easier for Indians to work in Russia.

Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov said at the time that Russia could accept an "unlimited number" of Indian workers. He said at least 800,000 people are needed in manufacturing and another 1.5 million in services and construction.

Background: Indian oil refineries are avoiding purchases of Russian oil for April delivery and are expected to refrain from such deals for longer.

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